organizing the little things

Whenever Charlie's laid up with the latest ding to spark chaos in my universe, it becomes very difficult to focus on anything else. Or to take for granted that we will actually ever make it to a horse show....

But, as is always the case, the horse does inevitably heal, and I can again start doing my favorite little inventories of all the various accouterments that go along with horse adventures.

charlie's favorite part of lessons is bein weird with his friends haha

Usually at some point each spring I like to do a full post inventorying our current complete gear set up for all three phases. Probably I will do that this year too, but it'll have to wait until we've finalized all the details. And, uh, ya know, until I've gotten updated pictures haha!

even those spicy little friends who aren't so sure they're interested haha

In the meantime, tho, I spent last weekend just as a spectator cheering on friends at Loch Moy's season opener. Like getting to finally meet KC from Mania in the Middle! Who had traveled all this way up north to basically catch ride a completely unknown horse in the BN class. And actually snagged some satin after moving up on their killer clean and clear jumping rounds!

Like a boss, amirite?

we r so gud at posing for pictures haha

One of my ulterior motives of hangin around at the show all day, tho, was to keep my eyes peeled for any fresh ideas when it comes to all the gear everyone is using on show day. With the idea being, maybe by immersing myself again in that atmosphere, I'd be able to visualize any gaps that currently exist in my kit.

a simple collapsible cooler for ice is on the list

One biggie on my list is a set of ice boots. In the past, I've always just gone straight to compression wraps on Charlie after running XC. But I'd like to integrate a period of icing into the process first. The obstacle tho (aside from not having any ice boots yet) is actually having the ice on hand haha. So a good cooler that can keep the ice frozen overnight before a show will be key.

added some stabby jabbies to the stud kit too!

I also ordered two new sets of studs for my kit. To be perfectly honest, I still feel like a complete and total newb about studding for cross country. I know my horse likes studs -- he feels super confident in them and is wayyyy more nimble on his feet, esp when it comes to dance moves like his auto changes.

But I still kinda feel a little mystified about the whole thing, and like I'm growing my kit through trial and error. Esp during the warmer summer months last year, I ended up feeling like all the studs in my box were too broad and blunt to be useful on the harder ground. So I'm hoping these two new additions will fill that gap. One is a longer more standard grass stud, and the other is a shorter but still pointy type.

aw look at the pony socks my mom gave me <3

Other than that, tho, honestly I kinda feel like I have everything I need. Sorta. My first pair of white breeches fit again, which is nice. They're kinda stained and dingy at this point, tho, so they'll probably get used for starter trials, and the newer white pants will maybe be reserved for recognized shows if I ever even make it to any.

And I might need new show coats, bc mine do not fit at all any more. It seems like some simple alterations could do the trick tho, I hope. So I'm going to try to talk it over with the seamstress at my local alterations place first. Fingers crossed lol.

and this weird zoom lens attachment kit for cell phone cameras from my grandfather

I also want to experiment with this crazy little cell phone camera zoom lens kit my grandfather gave us all as stocking stuffers last Christmas. It isn't the highest quality stuff in the world, but maybe could be useful for spectator filming on cross country?

the lens screws onto a clip that then fastens over the phone's lens

I'm a little skeptical overall bc the way the clip works means I have have to remove my cell phone's protective case first. Which like... I'm clumsy, yo. My phone already leads a hard enough life, is it really worth the risk?!

Plus the most extreme zoom is pretty shaky and difficult to focus. So idk. I'm kicking myself for leaving it at home last weekend bc the show would have been the perfect testing grounds for this kit. If it works tho, wouldn't that be awesome?? Like, how many of you have been kinda bummed by looking at a video of your awesome xc round where you're basically just a speck in distance??

i'm honestly a little skeptical about functionality but will hopefully test soon

So stay tuned for more on that, I suppose. Or, conversely, if any of you have used a similar type cell phone accessory, did it work at all? Or was it mostly just a waste?

at least i'm feeling pretty damn good about our gear going into the year! this saddle tho <3

Otherwise, tho, honestly I feel pretty good about where things stand gear-wise going into Charlie's 3rd season. Especially the new L'Apogee saddle still makes me so so so happy. I'm so freakin comfortable in it -- it gives me such a secure base and lower leg, and feels very balanced. Charlie likewise feels extremely comfortable in it.

I already mentioned that I switched out to a sheepskin half pad, which I also adore and feel does a nicer job of giving Charlie any necessary cushion vs the corrective shimming half pad. So far, so good on that front. Tho obviously it's nice to be in a position now where I have options.

and this fucking girth, wow but i love it!

The last bit for kitting out the new monoflap saddle was getting a girth to fit. Sure, I probably could have just used my dressage girth.... But eh, new stuff is fun, right? And I actually wanted something with a little more coverage around the buckles.

This fuzzy fleecy elastic girth doesn't have any branding on it, but I picked it up from consignment for literally $7. And it's so so perfect. So perfect. Charlie is happy in it, all the keepers are the perfect length for the saddle's billet straps, and the extra coverage means zero risk of Charlie getting pinched by the buckles. Boom. It's a 30" and we probably could have gone for a 28" instead, but it works perfectly.

So yea. Other than a few odds and ends lingering in my virtual shopping cart, like ice boots and an ice cooler, mostly everything is falling into place. Hopefully haha. There's always something else tho, right? Is anyone else going through their spring inventory too?